Socialist Fun

The everyday lives of youth in the Soviet Union are frequently depicted as having been drab, boring, and relentlessly politicized. In this fascinating new cultural history, however, Gleb Tsipursky offers a much richer, three-dimensional portrait of Soviet official culture and mainstream youth practices. The Soviet state's provision of organized cultural recreation after the Second World War included concerts, dances, movies, and plays, all aimed at using fun to cement support for Communism.